Happy Birthday, Shego!

Chapter One: Bridging the Divide

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"Let's see..." Kim Possible wondered aloud as she looked over her shopping list. "That looks like just about everything." She sighed as she put the list back in her purse and hefted the bags dangling from her right arm to a more comfortable position. She looked across the crowded Middleton Mall and shook her head with a slight smile on her face. It's good to be home for Christmas, though I really should have done my shopping before Christmas Eve... she thought brightly despite the exhaustion she felt seeping into her athletic frame.

Six hours of shopping in a busy mall during Christmas rush tended to wear out even the most gifted athletes, and the twenty-two year old hero was no exception. She laughed as she caught sight of a mother herding two children so they didn't run into anyone on their way to sit on Santa's lap, which was at the end of the food court. Someday... she thought before having to dodge another of the young fireballs as he ran past her.

A delighted squeal brought her attention across the hall to see a pair of familiar faces from high school and the time she'd spent at Yamanouchi. Lofting his three year old son was Hirotaka, her one-time crush and occasional mission ally. The Japanese man was tickling his child with a delicate touch that belied the strength Kim knew he possessed. Standing next to him and beaming as if ready to burst was her one-time rival, Bonnie. She seemed to feel Kim's attention on her and glanced over, waving with a laugh as Hirotaka put an arm around her.

That four years can make such a difference. A few years ago we'd have flipped each other off instead of waving... Kim mused as she waved back and continued on her way. She caught her reflection in a storefront and shifted her heavy coat aside to look herself over. Four years hadn't changed her overly much, or so people she hadn't seen in some time tended to say. She wasn't any taller than she had been, and was still lean and athletic; a bit more muscular than in high school, but most definitely still feminine.

Her face had matured, no longer bearing the rounded cuteness of her teen years, but the softly angled beauty she'd always envied in other women. Especially... No, I better not go there, I still have to apologize for being... Well, for being a bitch for no good reason... She sighed, glancing at her bustline in the shop window, and though she still had obvious curves there, it was the only part of her she wished were more developed. If only I'd have gotten Monique's rack... she contemplated wistfully as she finished her once over. I guess it's a blessing, though... I can still get the cute li'l numbers at Victoria's Secret that those busty women can't!

She smiled at her own thoughts, and changed her direction to the very same store she'd thought of. Might as well get Ron's other gift while I'm thinking about it. She began to consider the best colors to go with her complexion and hair color when a familiar voice snapped out of her thoughts as if slapped across the face.

"Happy holidays, folks!" a familiar, but oddly jolly voice yelled out, and she zeroed in on it immediately. The woman the voice belonged to was currently dressed up as one of Santa's helpers, and was kneeling down to give a young girl a candy cane. The girl squealed in delight and ran back to her mother, and the helper's brilliant emerald eyes lit up like the gems they so resembled. She stood and stretched slightly, and the 'Santa's elf' outfit she wore managed to move with her curves in a very flattering manner, despite being cut the same as every other helper. She flipped her long, green tinted black hair over her shoulder and looked back towards Santa, waiting for the next child in line.

Kim swallowed slightly at the unintentional display, shaking her head slightly. Guess she got her vacation... she thought, remembering the last time she'd heard anything about her former arch nemesis, and up until about six months earlier, close friend. I thought she was supposed to be on missions for GJ. She allowed a small, contemplative smile to grace her features as she watched on. "Not that I'm complaining." she muttered aloud as Shego bent down to give candy canes to a young set of twins. She sighed as another thought bounced around in her head, I guess I'm glad she's back, but now I have to figure out how to go about saying...

The voice of Santa's 'head elf' interrupted her thoughts, his voice piercing and gruff, but carrying a comfortable warmth with it. "Shea, go ahead and take the rest of the night off! You've been here for almost six hours now," the short, wizened old man said with a huge smile. "We'll get Sandy over there to take over for ya!"

"Thanks, Mack." she chuckled, taking her hat off as she walked into the small shack that Santa sat on top of, which also served as an employees break area. She walked out a couple moments later with a warm looking leather jacket over a turquoise sweater, as well as black jeans and ankle top hiking shoes. She was still stuffing the costume in the duffle bag and almost walked into a still stunned Kim. "Wha-...?" she began, only to be stunned into silence when she realized who she'd almost bumped into.

"Um, hi, Shego..." Kim said lamely when she finally found her voice, schooling her face into a neutral expression. "What're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Europe somewhere?" She couldn't stop from wincing at the tone of her question. She wished weakly for a do-over but couldn't take it back so she let it hang as she waited for Shego to answer her.

Shego paused for several seconds, contemplating both the tone and Kim's body language. Feeling that perhaps this was as awkward to her as it was to Kim, she decided to relax a little. She finally replied to the younger woman, but was a little more snappish than she'd intended. "Well, Princess, if you must know, I used to do this all the time when I was in Team Go,"

"Really?" Kim asked, her expression one of mild shock.

Shego barked a laugh at the surprised look on Kim's face. "Hey, it helped me center myself after a year of dealing with the idiot older brothers of mine!" she glanced sidelong at Kim while walking towards a nearby coffee shop, her face neutral. "And if you've still got that overdone attitude of yours, you should probably try it; you could use the humility..."

"Oh, whatever, Shego," Kim responded, rolling her eyes as she fell in step beside Shego. I was just asking, dammit, no need to get lippy about my attitude! Kim mused angrily It's not like I sounded bitchy this time, so what's your game here, Shego? After a pause, Kim finally continued with an annoyed lilt to her speech, "And I've so seen you around Team Go lately."

"Dr. D. and his plants that seem to think we'd make a good couple every time I'm around him, not to mention other things that have happened this year, such as back in, oh, June maybe...? Well, those make for a pretty damn good replacement for the idiots, Kimmie." Shego's voice grated softly.

Shego's emphasis on the month was not lost on Kim, who looked down almost guiltily for a moment. "Um, yeah, you got me there, Shego." Kim admitted grudgingly, shuddering at the thought of Drakken's plants creeping all over her with no apparent conscious control.

"Look, Princess," Shego continued, "I'm sure you believe in karma, right?" Kim nodded, her eyes narrowing at Shego suspiciously, "Yeah, let's just say I enjoyed this back then, and still do. And it's a way to work off that huge karmic debt I've racked up over the years... After all, helping GJ out's only gonna go so far, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Kim snorted, falling easily into the old back and forth banter the two used on each other when they were adversaries, despite her best intentions not to. "The GJ thing I can believe... But you, former international thief and all-round bad girl, is doing this out of the kindness of your heart?" Kim shook her head slightly, her expression unreadable, and Shego cocked her head at the younger woman in an annoyed manner, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Period much, Kimmie? Or was that nicey-nice attitude you gave me when you started helping out GJ and going on missions with my team just bullshit, and you only needed one mistake from me to capitalize on it? These thoughts quickly blew the small spark of frustrated annoyance Shego felt into a full grown bonfire within the green hued woman. Growling, Shego rounded on Kim, snapping at her with an almost accusatory tone in her voice, "Okay, ya got me, Princess! I'm actually casing the place, and my work with GJ and that friendship I had brewed up with you and Ron has all been a front to get rid of my competition!" she turned from Kim and stalked towards the coffee shop, rolling her eyes when she was facing away from Kim.

"After the last few months, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if you had another change of heart!" Kim grumbled, her tone sharp but a touch anxious as well. "But, I dunno, I don't see you going to Middleton Mall to start any crime sprees, personally."

"And why wouldn't I? There's a lot of money in this town, after all!" Shego answered in apparent seriousness. She stopped and started pointing out various stores within their line of sight. "Just in this mall, there's Zales' and Silk Luxuries right over there, Jared's and Victoria's Secret across the way, not to mention a Tag Hauer, a Club Banana Premier store and a Best Buy down that way..." she finished, pointing down Middleton Mall's north hallway.

"Shego..." Kim interrupted, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Aren't you reformed? And if you're not reformed, why would you tell me your plans?"

Oho, hit a sore spot, did I? Shego thought with glee. Let's see if that's what this has all been about then, huh? She snorted a laugh through her nose and shrugged expansively. "What good thief is ever reformed, Pumpkin?" Shego asked glibly, throwing something Kim had said six months earlier back in the younger woman's face. She paused just to the right of the coffee shop entrance, turning back to Kim with a derisive smirk.

Shego's attitude earned her another sour look from the red-head, forcing another short chuckle out of the former thief before Kim sighed. "Uh, huh, well... I was hoping that's not the case." Kim groused lightly, looking at the ground almost guiltily as she came to a stop in front of Shego. She finally looked up with an almost apologetic look on her face, "Look, Shego, I..." she paused, seeming to look for the right words to say.

Another sore spot? Princess, you're just leaving yourself all kinds of open! Shego thought with no small amount of delight. Payback's a bitch... "As to why I'm telling you? It's because I know you wouldn't believe me, and come Christmas morning, when the mall is robbed, and you see it in the morning paper and realize that I was telling the truth all along..." Her smirk had widened into a grin now, her eyes dancing in delight. "It'll be worth the look on your face."

"Ok, enough," Kim growled, her attitude changing in an instant as she almost glared at the smiling, green hued woman in front of her. Okay, gotta amp this down, she's gone from angry to way too happy, I don't want to get in another fight with her. Kim took a deep breath and blew it out, puffing her cheeks before continuing, "Will you be at least halfway seriou-...?

"And who say's I'm not?" Shego chuckled, thinking she'd pushed a little too far but enjoying making Kim uncomfortable too much to stop. Not gonna let ya off that easily, Princess, you said some things that were way out of line this last June! "If you think I'm telling the truth, you'll be patrolling the mall the whole night! Sitting here all alone, just waiting for me to show up, and then that'll mean you'll miss out on the lovely Christmas dinner your mom always cooks, as well as missing out on opening your presents! I won't even mention the missed opportunity of cuddling with that cute li'l fiancé of yours, leaving him all lonely..." Shego trailed off with a suggestive smirk, placing her hands on her hips and leaning slightly towards the younger woman.

"You... Evil bitch! Don't even go there right now!" Kim ordered sharply, her eyes hardening. Her left eye started to twitch slightly as she continued in a slightly more controlled voice, "If you're telling the truth, that's just mean spirited." She paused and cocked her head to the side, making a conscious attempt to stop her eye from twitching, "And if you're not, even being legitimate you're still giving me all sorts of problems!" Kim threw her hands up and shook her head, half turning to leave the older woman standing by the coffee shop.

Shego sighed and reached out, lightly grasping Kim on the shoulder in a surprisingly companionable manner. Ok, time to ease off, it'd probably be best to talk about things anyway, instead of argue. "Okay, okay, Princess!" she laughed lightly, "You wear one of those things and be that nice for six hours straight and see if you can avoid naughty thoughts and general bitchiness! Though as uptight as you are right now, it wouldn't surprise me if you hadn't already done it... That or you need to get laid ..." Shego's smile slipped into a devilish smirk before asking, "Ronnie holding out on his princess for Christmas because of that jealous little display back in June?"

Kim sighed and shook her head. "Do you think you could please stop this? I mean, the joking about stealing the mall blind it is unsettling enough as it is," Kim pled, grimacing at how petulant she sounded. She closed her eyes and took another breath, "And yes, I know you're joking. As for June, I..."

"Go on...?" Shego asked leadingly as Kim paused, the younger woman's face a mishmash of emotions, flowing too quickly to read.

"Hell, Shego, I know I was kind of a bitch, but you were hitting on my fiancé after a pretty bad sitch, you know?" she smiled softly at this point, trying to take the sting out of her words. "I know I shouldn't have unloaded on you that day for something that wasn't exactly your fault. But in my defense, if you'd have waited ten minutes for me to find out what really happened, and explain my anger, well..." Kim sighed, shrugging helplessly. "We wouldn't exactly be stuck like this, now, I don't think. So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry if my attitude pissed you off, then or now." Kim reached out hesitantly, a hopeful smile on her face. "Friends still? Or again...?" Shego raised an eyebrow and reached out, clasping the younger woman's hand lightly.

"Only if you promise not to go off on my like that again; at least not without asking me about it first, please?" Shego asked, earning a relieved nod from Kim. Shego held Kim's hand for a moment longer before she let it slip free. "And I'm sorry too; we were both being bitchy for no good reason. I won't apologize for hitting on Ron, though! After all, I'm still single, Princess, and that man can not only fight, but cook and clean up after himself!" Shego exclaimed, "You can't really blame me for believing some really juicy and seemingly reliable rumors, can you?"

Kim laughed lightly and shook her head, "Not really. But that aside, since you got a full pardon four years ago, you can go out looking all you want to!" Shego smirked and glanced around as Kim paused, not seeming to pay much attention to Kim's little speech. "So why continue hitting on Ron when you found out that he and I were engaged? What more could you wan-...?"

Shego's malicious grin stopped the hero's words half formed. Shego pointed up, and the young hero followed the proffered finger and noticed she was standing right under mistletoe. Oh,really now? Kim thought, but let a concerned expression come to her face. "Err... Ummm, Shego?"

"Yup," Shego exclaimed, "Better pucker up Princess, you know you want to."

"Ha, ha, Shego." Kim muttered drolly, before her eyes narrowed slightly, a wicked grin replacing her look of concern. "I knew you swing that way, I just didn't know you swung my way!"

Shego was taken aback briefly by Kim's grin and comment, then matched it with one of her own. "Dont' forget, Princess, I'm a bad girl..." She leaned in towards Kim, her lips slightly parted and her eyes drooping lazily, in an attempt to catch the younger woman off guard.

Kim, much to Shego's surprise, didn't back off, causing her to hesitate in her movement. "What's wrong, Shego?" Kim asked, walking into the coffee shop, letting a little extra sway enter her stride. "Is the bad girl nervous?" Kim continued, her tone dropping into a surprisingly seductive purr. Ball's back my side of the court, Shego; now to keep it there!

Did she just start swishing her hips at me? Shego asked herself in surprise, before shaking her head slightly. "Whatever, Princess, I'm just not interested in giving you the satisfaction!" she finished with a roll of her eyes. What the Hell? Was that a bullshit rumor, or is she a lesbian nympho?

"Hmmm, is that what you said when you had that little fling with Alexis down in supply?" Kim laughed as Shego walked in after her, a deep blush spreading across the older woman's face. "Anyway, you mentioned Victoria's I have to go get something to be more comfortable in later. Care to join me for some shopping, maybe a few drinks at the Starlight Cathedral since you're off and it's the official grand opening tonight?"

"Hell yeah to the shopping, I need to get a few things there before hitting the Starlight." Shego exclaimed with a smile. "But... Wait one second, Possible! One, how the Hell did you know I was going there, and two, how did you plan on getting in?" she continued as they approached the counter. "I got my own invitation by knowing a couple of the co-owners and helping them with security, but..."

"Well, I am a world renowned hero living right here in Middleton, y'know." Kim said with an innocent smile. "And I know a couple of the co-owners myself, so it's all good. And I just don't see someone like you missing the grand opening of a club like that, or am I wrong?"

The two women chuckled, realizing the truth of Kim's statements. They waited in line for several minutes and ordered their respective drinks, each grimacing at the other's order. "I don't understand how you could ruin perfectly good coffee with frothed milk and caramel flavoring, Princess." Shego muttered as she stirred the ice cubes in her four shot espresso.

"Likewise," Kim said with a giggle, "You and Ron, I can't understand how you can drink that paint thinner shit. And iced?" Kim made a show of shuddering at the thought.

"Leave my chilled paint thinner alone!" Shego groused good-naturedly, slamming her iced espresso in one gulp. She then stared at Kim with an honestly curious expression, "And cursing, Princess? I haven't heard you cussing this openly on GJ ops, what gives?"

Kim shook her head and rolled her eyes, looking skyward and asking "Why is it so hard for people to believe that I just held my tongue out of respect when I was living in my parent's house?"

Shego laughed at the display. "Not that hard to believe, Princess, but I always thought you did it 'cause you were a goody-goody."

Kim fell silent and took a few contemplative sips of her drink, watching shoppers go by outside the window. A smile came to Shego's face as the older woman watched the red-head rather closely. She was about to ask something she noticed about Kim's gaze when Kim suddenly responded to Shego's statement, "Only in part, Shego... You have no idea how many times I just wanted to let loose on Dr. D. before I moved out of my parent's place."

"Probably about as many times as I did unload on him!" Shego laughed, fingering her empty coffee cup while she reminisced. "And by the time you'd moved out of your parent's place, you didn't have to deal with Dr. D. and I, didja?" Kim nodded and they shared a laugh much needed laugh.

After a moment of silent contemplation between the two women, Kim glanced over at Shego. "There any ice in there?" Kim asked unexpectedly, pointing at Shego's cup. Shego nodded in confusion and Kim reached over, pulling the cup out of Shego's now lax fingers. She poured the remaining ice from Shego's drink in hers, stirring it slightly before smiling over at the green hued woman. "I may not like it all that much, but I will agree that these drink faster when cool," she said as she slammed her drink in a few hearty gulps, straining the ice cubes with her teeth and lips. "And since we have some shopping to get to, the longer we sit, the less likely we'll get what we want!"

"Um, Princess..." Shego said with a lascivious grin, pointing at her own lip for emphasis, "You might want to get rid of that, you never know what people will think it is, y'know?"

Kim matched her grin and made a small show out of licking away the offending foam and whipped cream with an apparently very nimble tongue. Shego could only stare for the several seconds it took for Kim to lick the sticky foam off. What the fuck, Princess? Shego thought in shock, before finally breathing out, "A goody-goody one year, vying for porn star the next?" Her voice showed an attempt at sarcasm, but the subtle catch in her throat made the attempt fall short.

"Nah, I just like teasing. You should've see Ron's reaction the first time I did that!" Kim said with a wink and a huge grin.

Yeah, I'm sure it was priceless, Shego thought, barely biting the remark back. "Heh, yeah, well... Shopping?" she said instead, a small nervous pit forming in her stomach. Just what's your game here, Princess? Shego wondered, unconsciously echoing Kim's earlier thoughts.

"Mmmmhmmm, sounds good to me," Kim answered with an almost sultry moan, before giggling lightly at how flustered her antics were making Shego.Turnabout's fair play, Mint... Kim thought with amusement, her eyes dancing in delight at the thought of unleashing that nickname on Shego.

The next two hours went by in a blur for the ladies, most of the time spent in Silk Luxuries and Victoria's Secret, trying on and comparing notes about various lingerie they had picked out. Kim, despite her implied hurry earlier was content to spend the time helping Shego find something that fit her larger bustline while retaining the cute quality they both seemed to like.

In all actuality, Kim could have cared less where they were shopping, or what they were shopping for. She was merely enjoying spending time with someone she'd become friends with, but had pushed away. Story of my life, but at least everything seems okay. Now if this week ends on a high note, well... Kim smirked, and finally satisfied with their choices, she glanced at her wrist Kimmunicator, making a show of panicking, "Shit! Shego, if we want these for our visit to the Starlight, we'd better get going!"

Shego glanced at the time as well, nodding in agreement. "I know a place that'll do an hour dry clean for me, but you'll owe me a few drinks when we get to the Starlight!" Shego said with a grin.

"No problem!" Kim agreed, paying for her new lingerie and waiting outside the store for Shego. "And I'll owe ya double, since I'll need to get my new dress cleaned too." She grimaced as Shego caught up to her. "And... I really hate to ask this, but since my parents live most of the way across town, you wouldn't mind me catching a shower at your place, would ya?" To make sure that Shego said yes, Kim coyly dropped her shoulders, batted her eyelashes twice, and unleashed the full force of her puppy dog pout.

Shego's jaw tried to race her shopping bags to the floor when she saw the expression, which left her speechless. When she finally recovered her faculties, she laughed at having been so easily caught by what was arguably Kim's most potent weapon before nodding at the younger woman. "Ok, no problem, Princess, just tone that look down, kay?" Shego averted her eyes as Kim kept the pout going for a few extra seconds, a blush seeped across her cheeks and nose.

"Okay!" Kim yelped happily, thoroughly pleased with Shego's reaction. "Oh, shit, I'll be right out, um, where'd you park? Ron dropped me off here, and I have to get one more thing for him, and then I have to let him know I'll be heading with you."

"Okay," Shego said amiably, a low intensity plasma burst flaring on her free hand briefly, "And we won't need to worry about a designated driver, I can burn excess alcohol off anytime I want. I'll just meet you at the food court entrance, Princess." Shego said as she walked past Kim to go find her car.

When Shego pulled up at the main entrance, Kim stood there with a devious smile on her face, twirling a little black tote bag she now carried in her hand in addition to her purchases. As she got into the front passenger seat, she made no indication of what she bought, and Shego just left it alone. The trip to the dry cleaners was quick, and after a few moments of explaining their needs and receiving guarantees that their clothes will be ready within the hour, the two women walked to a close by Quiznos. They wanted to grab a quick bite to eat, not wanting to start a night of partying on an empty stomach.

While eating, they caught up on each other's activities over the last six months, or at least what they could talk about publicly, before delving further back into memories neither had talked about to each other very much.

"Sothat's why your mom calls you Bubble-butt?" Shego asked wonderingly, her gaze a mix of surprise and comprehension.

Kim laughed at Shego's incredulous expression, pointing a finger at her mock threateningly, "And don't you dare tell anyone, Ron doesn't even know that! But yeah, so now you know why I was so embarrassed when my mom told your Miss Go persona the nickname..."

"I can see why you wanted to keep it quiet, I mean... Passing gas while in a tub at eighteen months would be hell to have hanging over you in high school, I guess..." Shego smiled wickedly at Kim's strangled, embarrassed growl before continuing. "So what do I owe the honor, Princess?" Shego said leadingly, her eyes drooping suggestively as she asked.

"I have my reasons." Kim said simply, "Besides, now that I've told you that, you can tell me something I've been dying to know, if it's not too much to ask, of course?" She waited for Shego to nod her assent to ask, and leaned forward for a little more privacy. In a hushed tone, she asked, "Why did you really quit Team Go? Ron and I went out to a party at the university not too long ago and ran into the twins, and when I asked, they'd only say that it wasn't exactly what Hego said it was, so..."

Shego looked down at her hands as she clasped on the tabletop. "Tell ya what, Princess," she said after several seconds, "I'll tell you when you get those drinks in me... It's both embarrassing and, well... A bit more personal than what you told me..."

Kim's eyebrows shot up at this, her mind already working on what it could've been. More personal? She asked herself, then thought about the rare bits and pieces of home life Shego had told her about since they'd first known each other. Those little tidbits of information, plus her observations of Shego's recent behavior gave her something of an idea, but she wasn't about to make any serious guesses. She'll tell me when she's ready... Kim concluded. They sat silently for a few more moments as they finished their meals, before she finally looked at her watch. Almost time to go get the clothes. "Ready?" she asked simply, to which Shego nodded and stood, stretching before heading towards the door.

Kim followed her, and they were soon on their way to Shego's apartment, freshly laundered clothes in hand. They pulled up and Kim was surprised at the location. Granted, the apartment building looked good, with clean and relatively new siding, but it didn't look like the luxury house or apartment complex Kim half expected the former villainess to reside in. "Not living in the lap of luxury, Shego?" Kim asked. Shego merely kept quiet, humming lightly to herself with a knowing smile gracing her features. "I mean, c'mon, I know GJ pays you better than this!" Kim's commentary continued in this vein until Shego opened the door to her apartment.

Kim stood at the doorway and her jaw dropped as if to hit the floor. The room looked nothing like what she expected, even from Shego. There was an entertainment system that had to have cost several thousand dollars in the front room, which featured expensive leather furniture in a soft burgundy color. The floors were covered with a thick, comfortable looking plush carpet and the walls were painted in a soothing, off white color.

There were artworks arrayed along the walls that ranged from renaissance era reproductions to original modern paintings and even a few sculptures. Kim glanced over to see that the dining room was cozy and well appointed, with a six place table and a corner bar hutch that was quite well stocked. "Ok, color me impressed, but... How did you get this all in an apartment like this? Aren't there tenants or somth-...?"

"Princess, to answer an earlier question: I know exactly how good GJ pays... That's why I own this apartment building!" Shego said with a laugh, "And I had all of the units are set up like this." She walked towards her bedroom with a seductive swagger, much like Kim's at the coffee shop. She glanced back as she entered the master bedroom and noticed that Kim looked a bit flushed. Either there's something that a certain blonde fiancé of her's didn't tell me about... she pondered, Or I should have stayed for the debriefing instead of going to Norway with the surveillance team back in June... Opening her mouth, she coughed lightly to get Kim's attention, "The other bathroom's at the end of this hall on the right, Pumpkin. I'll see you shortly."

"Right," Kim replied simply, and with that, Shego closed the door to her bedroom, laughing softly at Kim's apparent flustered state. She laid her clothing across her queen size bed and went to get her shower started. As she stripped out of her day clothes, she contemplated the last four years of her life with a bittersweet smile. She'd long since gone back on her promise to quit being one of the 'good guys' forever, but it didn't bother her too much. Global Justice paid her more than Drakken anyway. And while she missed the thrill of stealing something from someone despite whatever security they may have, she relished the adrenaline rush of the combat she often found herself in.

She sighed as she stepped into the scalding hot shower, sighing happily as the water blasted her. As she began to lather soap over her body, her mind wandered back to her earlier thoughts. God, I've gotten weak willed, she thought, shaking her head to get more water at the roots of her hair.

Four years ago, she'd have started a knock down drag out fight with Kim for the back and forth banter at the mall. Granted, she was now a generally law abiding citizen, but the adrenaline high of fighting Kim was more intense than with henchmen or the like. Oh, what the hell, admit it, she admitted to herself, I miss tussling with Princess just 'cause it was fun...

And that made it all worse, she realized as she sprayed the soap off of her body. She had seen a lot of Team Possible over the years since the Lowardian's attempted invasion. At first they were antagonistic to each other, but soon became almost natural; they had so much in common and they had a sort of mutual respect for each other despite being on different sides of the law. Sorta like when I was Miss Go, and I had to sleep at her parent's place... And we ended up sharing way too much information. Team Possible and Shego had seen each other even more once Kim had become a part time GJ agent, which had started to cause problems. At least from Shego's point of view.

With a snort of laughter at her last thought, she started to massage shampoo into her beautiful hair, making sure that every inch was thoroughly lathered up. She was proud of her hair; it was her hair that got a lot of guys and not a few women interested in her in the first place. The way she'd seductively flip it over her shoulder and gaze coyly at her target was apparently irresistible. It had never failed her, ever, even when she tried it on Kim's fiancé, Ron Stoppable. Dammit, why does it always come back to him, huh?

She sighed again as she thought back to when she first found him attractive. It was a simple day, not too long after the two had decided to drop the vicious rivalry and became friends. She was out shopping with Kim, as impossible as that sounds, and then there he was, waving over to them from the other side of the mall.

The truth was, Shego's first impression had Kim ditching the sidekick for some new hottie, especially seeing that Ron had gone to Japan for some top-secret mission two months earlier. And of course I was going to start bitching her out about jumping to the next available man... Christ, does stupidity flow in my veins around those two? Kim had easily derailed Shego's thoughts then and gave a happy shout before grabbing Shego's arm and dragging her over to Ron. As they had walked to meet him, though, Ron's pants had dropped to his ankles.

The antic was an obvious prat-fall to earn a few laughs, made more obvious by the fact that he had regular shorts on underneath his cargo pants. But Shego's jaw had nevertheless tried its best to slam into the ground. His latest growth spurt had him basically standing eye to eye with her, and though he still had that goofy smile on his lips, his t-shirt was plastered to his body as if painted on. And it showed off his musculature quite well.

He didn't have the overdone kind of physique that beach jocks have, the kind that comes from years of useless weight-lifting or steroid usage. No, his was the kind of physique that only comes from actually doing some physical activity, running, fighting freaks and saving the world. Just a lithe body that's perfectly toned and well-sculpted, looking naturally sexy and very, very alluring.

In that instant, Shego had realized she envied Kim, that she wanted to be the one that wrapped her arms around that hard torso, nuzzling herself close to that solid, well formed chest, feeling those strong arms wrapping around her. She almost thought of muscling in onto Kimmie's territory, wrapping her arms around him to give him an overly-friendly welcome-back-home hug, but the way Kim was hanging onto those arms…

Shego found her hands wandering over the erogenous zones of her body as she imagined that very same man and the things she'd like to do with him. She stopped herself when she remembered that his fiancée was just down the hall, so she reached over to the faucet and turned the hot water off.

Almost instantly she was blasted with icy cold water; after all, she didn't want an embarrassing repeat of what happened when she was giddily infatuated with Ron and had pulled out all her charms. He responded! She chided herself. What were you suppose to think? He definitely caught on to your flirting, both the words and gesture. Hell, he'd flirted back! He wasinterested in you, at least until Kimmie stepped back in and shut you down!

It had torn apart her pride to lie about her feelings and say she was only playing to get under Kim's skin. She'd then hurriedly excused herself, cutting her evening short and gone back to her apartment to sob her eyes out for a good half an hour. I still wish I knew what the look on her face had been all about. I'vealways been able to read her, except for that day... Strangely, that had made the feeling of having something she could never have dangled in front of her even stronger, and she really felt weak, pathetic and miserable.

Not only was any shot at Ron shut down, but she had also inadvertently betrayed one of her few true friends, Kim. Her own emotional turmoil had affected her work, and it finally came to a head a week later, during an assault mission against Gemini in the United States. While the mission did not suffer any casualties beyond Kim being knocked out by a scaffold, it was a momentary lapse of attention on Shego's part that let Gemini slip away.

Granted it wasn't entirely her fault, as Will Du had called her team in for backup via the command channel, but she could have fought his orders, even after he recited regulation protocol for taking overall mission command. But she'd been worried, about both Ron and Kim, so she'd gone back, and while her attention was focused on the henchmen, Gemini had slipped away.

Shego had figured it best then and there to resolve her inner conflict, and she sought to confront Ron and find out whether he was just flirting with her to flirt, or if there'd been more. It bothered her quite a bit, and though deep in her heart, she knew that she and Ron would never be together as long as Kim was around, she just felt that she needed to know, that she needed closure.

It had started out as a comfortable, amiable face-to-face chat with Ron, where she'd even gone so far as to ask if the rumors she'd heard were true. Ron had been about to answer her when Kim became involved in the conversation. Things had quickly degraded into one ugly bitchfest when Kim tore into Shego, first about the mission, and then about Shego's accusations that Kim's anger had nothing to do with the mission. Shego shuddered as she recalled the insults she'd thrown at Kim after that. She hadn't meant most of them, but still, she knew she couldn't take those words back ever again.

Before anything could be settled, she found herself volunteering for a surveillance mission on Gemini in Norway. The op had lasted for almost six months, and was of course marked 'need to know'. Which meant that even if they'd asked, Dr. Director couldn't have told Ron and Kim about it. It also brought her no closer to finding out what Ron's feelings were towards her. At least Kimmie seems to be over it, but...

"I was still being a bitch." She concluded as she slid into her clothing. The lingerie went on first, feeling almost like a second skin. Then came the dress; it was a form fitting, knee length teal blue dress with wide turquoise accents along the seams, but not so tight that niceties such as the lingerie she wore would show through. She also liked the color, which she felt complemented her skin tone nicely. Not to mention will look killer in the club!

She reached back and made sure it was settled correctly then picked out a simple, but flattering pair of high heeled shoes, before walking out of her bedroom. She was taken aback when she saw Kim standing only a few feet from her bedroom entrance, a tight black dress hugging her athletic frame as if it were tailor made for her. It was mid-thigh silk dress that was tight, but not overly so, and revealed a tasteful amount of cleavage, all without looking tacky or whorish. "Shego?" Kim called out as she heard Shego's sharp intake of breath.

Damn, when did she learn how to look sexy? Shego thought as she slowly let her breath out. Then she realized the younger woman trying to reach the zipper along the back, and having little success doing so. She also noticed the soft lavender of Kim's lingerie peaking through the open zipper, and had to stop her self from making a lewd comment about it. "What the hell, Princess? Not as flexible as we used to be?" Shego asked as walked up, chuckling as she tried to get those dirty thoughts out of her mind.

"You could help, y'know!" Kim snapped, earning a louder chuckle from Shego. Then she felt Shego's hands lifting the zipper towards the nape of her neck and smiled over her shoulder at the older woman. "Thanks." She said simply, suddenly turning and giving the older woman a slightly more than friendly peck on the cheek.

Shego tried not to blush, but she felt a mild heat wash across her face at the action. "Heh, no problem," she replied as if nothing had happened, "And good color choice for the lingerie... Lavender looksreally good on you."

Kim smiled coyly, walked over to where her purse was and bundled up in a winter jacket in case it got colder out. "Thanks, but compliments can wait, we have to get going!" she said glibly, turning towards Shego's door.

Shego nodded and grabbed her own purse, not bothering with a coat, and locked the door behind her as she followed Kim. They hurried to Shego's car and got in, heading out of town and towards the Middleton Observatory. "I still can't believe that this place is up near the observatory." Shego remarked, shaking her head lightly.

"Heh, that's 'cause someone owed a huge favor to one of the co-owners." Kim quipped knowingly, and the duo fell into a companionable silence. Kim watched the lights of Middleton fade as they traveled further up the foothills and into the mountains proper, intentionally ignoring the occasional looks Shego was giving her. Just keep looking, Mint! She thought deviously, allowing a small smile to cross her features. The night's only beginning...

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Authors' Notes

First of all, notice that it is Authors' notes and not Author's notes. I try my best not to make grammatical errors, and hence it's intentional in denoting that there are multiple authors for this fic. Cough I'm sidetracking and kgs-wy might bitchslap me if I do too much of it, but I digress again.

So... Now the story actually starts, the first chapter was merely a teaser prologue as to what happened. I'm kinda thinking how grown up Kim has become and in many ways, she has become more like Shego. More adult, more seductive, more teasing and more… Dare I use the word? Naughty? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Kim turned out like this when she hit 22, after all, she is a bombshell at 16… Bad thoughts, bad thoughts… the similarities between them are a little more pronounced here, in their similar tastes in clothes and guys. Plus of course their love for trying to shut the other down with smart-talking, which I definitely believe is a remnant of their previous fights, and continuing in that spirit of things. But somehow to me, it seems that Kim's more of messing with Shego's mind, maybe it's to do with payback for all those times Shego's been taunting her... And, hey, since this story did follow the series and continues after Season 4, Kim's probably enjoying some of it... Though there's obviously some undercurrent there that both of them are dancing around with each other.

But then again, the KiGo overtures are right there and damn well not too subtle, and I wonder what Kim has planned for Shego.